Thursday, August 1, 2013

Ravioli with Zucchini, Onion and Bacon


Tonight as I was sitting in traffic the phone rang. Yes I have hands free in the car. It was Chris wondering where I was and what was for dinner. I explained that I was sitting in my  car on the highway in West Haven, a normal occurrence on a Thursday night in the summer, and I was planning on making frozen ravioli, sauteing some zucchini that I had already slice in the fridge and maybe adding some onion and bacon. I told him I would be home as soon as I could. About an hour later I walk into the house and the aroma of dinner greeted me. Chris had made dinner. Everything that I had told him I was going to do was already done and it was ready for the table. To quote Kurt Vonnegut, "If this isn't nice, I don't know what is."

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Ratatouille with Goat Cheese

A summer staple in our house is Ratatouille. This recipe is from Food and Wine. Of course the the Goat Cheese was a nice addition.

Ratatouille with Goat Cheese, a variation of Food and Wine recipe

Ingredients -
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 pound eggplant, peeled and cut into 1-inch dice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 yellow squash, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 large onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 pounds tomatoes, cored and finely chopped
1 cup loosely packed shredded basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup crumbled aged goat cheese

Method -
In a large enameled cast-iron casserole or Dutch oven, heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil until shimmering. Add the eggplant and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until almost tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper and cook for 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the eggplant to a plate.

Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil to the casserole along with the zucchini and yellow squash and cook over moderate heat until lightly browned in spots, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper and cook for 1 minute. Add the vegetables to the eggplant.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the casserole, along with the onion and bell pepper. Cook over moderate heat until softened, about 7 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, two-thirds of the basil and the reserved vegetables and cook over moderate heat until the tomatoes have broken down and the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in the remaining basil along with the lemon zest and juice. Transfer to bowls and sprinkle with the goat cheese. Drizzle with olive oil and serve.

Monday, July 29, 2013

Pasta Pie, The Big Salad, Why I Blog and A Happy Birthday Wish

Do you remember Friday night's dinner? The pasta with the roasted vegetables. Fortunately we had leftovers. So I made my favorite thing to make with leftover pasta. The Pasta Pie. The recipe is from Chef Silvio's book, Cooking With Chef Silvio: Stores and Authentic Recipes from Campania. His recipe calls for heavy cream. Well I did not have any but I had plain Greek Yogurt. Wow it was amazing. Before I finished my first slice I saw someone go back for seconds.

Here is the recipe with my variation noted.

Ingredients
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
2/3 cup pecorino romano cheese
1/3 cup heavy cream (or 1/3 cup Plain Greek Yogurt)
1 tbsp. fresh chopped parsley
1 tbsp. olive oil
Salt and fresh ground pepper
12 oz cooked spaghetti, cold
2 tbsp butter

Method
In a bowl, beat the eggs, grated cheese, cream, parsley, salt and pepper until well combined. Stir in the spaghetti, then set aside. Place the butter in a deep pie tin and melt the butter in a 425 degree oven, and spread over the pan bottom. Pour the spaghetti mixture into the buttered pan and spread evenly. Bake at 425 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes,or until it is firm and golden.

In addition to the Pasta Pie we had the ever popular Big Salad. I got 2 heads of lettuce, one green leaf and the other Romaine, from Jake's Farm Stand for $2.00 each. They are huge! I have enough lettuce for all week. And after the dessert I had today that Becky brought in I need to eat nothing but lettuce. It was something her sister made. A log of dark chocolate with cookies inside. Dear God it was quite good.

Now on to the Why I Blog portion of tonight's post...
This is our God Daughter Elenora eating Baked Quiona and Chicken Parmesan.
And that is why I post what we had for dinner.

And Happy 40th Birthday to my nephew Carlo!

Saturday, July 27, 2013

The Porterhouse Steak

 
If I am going to eat meat this is the cut of meat I prefer. The Porterhouse Steak. It is like 2 steaks wrapped in one.

 The Porterhouse is kind of a composite steak coming from the point where the tenderloin and top loin meet. Basically an over-sized T-Bone steak the porterhouse is thicker cut and has much more of the tenderloin relative to the loin portion. If you remove the bone and cut out the two steaks that basically make up this steak you will get a tenderloin steak and a top loin (or New York Strip Steak). So if you are ordering a Porterhouse, I hope you're hungry.

Chris used a dry rub consisting of coriander seed,salt, ground mustard, fennel seed, paprika, black pepper and chili powder.
    The steaks were grilled perfectly.

    For side dishes we had grilled potatoes and new zucchini recipe, always need new zucchini recipes!

    I found this on Cookstr. It is from Sarah Leah Chase's book, Nantucket Open-House Cookbook.

    Summer Squash Casserole, adapted from Sarah Leah Chase's recipe.

    Ingredients -
    1 tablespoons olive oil
    5 medium zucchini, sliced ¼ inch thick
    1 medium red onions, thinly sliced
    Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
    Thyme and Pasley
    5 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
    4 ounces Swiss cheese, sliced ¼ inch thick

    Method -
    Preheat the oven to 375°F.

    Brush a 7-inch round soufflé dish with the oil. Arrange a layer of summer squash slices evenly in the bottom of the casserole. Top with a layer of onion and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and herbs. Dot with Cheddar cheese and Swiss Cheese. Repeat the layers. Finish with a layer of cheese. Cover the casserole with aluminum foil.

    Bake for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake until the squash is tender and the cheese is bubbly and browned, about 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

    And I made a new appetizer recipe.  Balsamic Glazed Mortadella Bites, which I found on Italian Food Forever. I have always liked Mortadella. This is a super easy appetizer.

    Balsamic Glazed Mortadella Bites, from Italian Food Forever.

    Ingredients -
    1 1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil
    1/3 Pound Mortadella Salami, Rind Removed & Cut Into 1 1/2 Inch Cubes
    2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

    Method -
    Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until smoking. Add the mortadella cubes, and cook, tossing the cubes often, until they are lightly browned on all sides. Add the balsamic vinegar and toss to coat. Cook for another minute or two until the vinegar thickens and coats the meat. Serve immediately.

    Friday, July 26, 2013

    Cooking Like My Dad

    I am not sure why my Dad was on my mind today but tonight's dinner was an homage to my Father. My Dad use to make stews and sauces starting off by using just a few things from the garden. Then little by little he would add this and that and he would end up with a large pot of food that would last him a week. I would stop by the house and he would say, "Lucia you have to try this. It tastes pretty good! But I've got too much. I can't cook without adding more and more to the pan." And I would always take some home.

    Tonight's dinner started as Pasta with Zucchini and Eggplant. I worked from home today so at lunch I was able to roast the zucchini and eggplant. I tossed them with olive oil, salt, pepper, oregano & crushed red pepper. About 20 minutes at 425 stirring and rotating the pans half way through the cooking time. I had peppers, onions and sausage left over from the other night. So while the pasta water was coming to a boil I heated up some olive oil and a knob of butter in a saute pan. I added the peppers, onions and sausage and some sliced grape tomatoes. I let that saute for about 10 minutes and then I added the the roasted zucchini and eggplant. A little seasoning and a little white wine were added to the pan. Just before the the pasta was done I remembered I had arugula. I quickly added that to the saute pan and when it had wilted I added the pasta and a little of the pasta water. The timing was perfect. The plates were garnished with chopped parsley and Parmesan Cheese.
    And how was dinner? Amazing! The peppery arugula and the roasted vegetables kept it quite light for a pasta dish. And just as my Dad had too much food we will be seeing our leftovers probably in a Pasta Pie later in the week.

    Sunday, July 21, 2013

    Cold Antipasto

    When we were visiting my nephew for the Baptism a couple of weeks ago we had a dinner which was a big antipasto. It never occurred to me to do that for dinner. Tonight that is what I put on the table. Fantastic.

    I had seen a recipe using Patty Pan Squash on the Proud Italian blog a couple of nights ago and had to try it. I used the leftover Zucchini Salad from last night, adding the Patty Pan Squash. I adjusted the dressing, olive oil and lemon juice. Nice!

     
    I had some Capicola, Olives, Fresh Mozzarella, Tomatoes and Basil. I just added a little olive oil and salt over the Tomatoes and Mozzarella.

    Then there was so steak leftover from last night's dinner. Some lettuce, olives, tomatoes and feta cheese. The steak sliced on top. A little vinaigrette dressing. Perfect meal for a hot summer night.

    Saturday, July 20, 2013

    Grilled Steak and Radishes with Black Pepper Butter

    Right out of the new Bon Appetit! Grilled Steak and Radishes with Black Pepper Butter. Okay my favorite part was the radishes. I just love them grilled. I also made a Shaved Zucchini Salad. It was a perfect match for the meat and radishes. As much as I liked this steak recipe I think I still like the dry rub better!
    And for dessert I picked up something new at the store. Roba Dolce Ocean Spray Lemon Blueberry Sorbet. I love the lemon blueberry combination. Heck I made Lemon Blueberry Scones today for tomorrow's breakfast! This sorbet is wonderful.  It is 110 calories for half a cup so I did not eat the whole carton but I do believe I could have! I  also picked up the Hazelnut Truffle Gelato (they were on sale 2 for $6), but I have not tried that on yet... stay tuned...




    Thursday, July 18, 2013

    Grilled Pizza! Amazing!

    I just love grilling pizza. The crust is so crisp. We brush one side of the crust with olive oil and put the oiled side down on the grill. Once it is done we remove the crust, brush oil on the uncooked side and put our toppings on the cooked side. Back on the grill until the underside is crisp and the cheese on top is melted. The aroma of the grilling dough is wonderful. It reminds me of the school carnival when I was in grade school. Zuppardi's use to run the fried dough stand. Talk about food memories!

    For toppings we cleaned out the fridge. The grilled eggplant and grilled yellow squash were from the other night. I did not do a post for that dinner. And the zucchini flowers I picked up at Bishop's Orchards. Goat cheese, shredded Mozzarella and of course Parmesan.

    And speaking of the school carnival, I found a photo of my Mom at the St. Lawrence School Carnival with my brother's three children. The year was 1979!

    Wednesday, July 17, 2013

    Grilled Pork Tenderloin

    I came home and Chris had dinner well under way. He cubed a pork tenderloin. He marinated the pork in olive oil, cholula hot sauce, dijon mustard, salt, pepper and fresh sage. Then he skewered the meat and grilled it along with some zucchini spears. The pork was delicious. The flavors were perfect.

    Happy Wednesday!